Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once the squash cubes are all coated, arrange in a single layer and roast until tender, about 25 minutes.
Get the stock ready. Pour stock into a medium saucepan with a lid. Place a ladle to the side. Cover the stock and set it over medium heat on the stove. Bring to a simmer.
Place the miso in a small bowl and top it with a ladle of warm stock. Use a whisk to “dissolve” the miso into the stock. Then, pour the miso-enriched stock back into the saucepan. Keep the stock on low heat so that it stays warm and is barely simmering.
Set a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallots and sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, and smoked paprika. Stir for 30 seconds.
Add the arborio rice and stir to coat in the oil and seasonings for about 30 seconds.
Add 2 ladles of warm stock and stir. It should be lightly simmering. When the pan is almost dry, add 2 more ladles of stock. Keep stirring every 30 seconds or so.
Repeat this process of stirring, waiting for the pot to almost dry up, and adding 2 ladles of stock until the rice is just tender and the consistency is starting to get creamy. This takes about 25-30 minutes total. You may not need all of the stock!
When the rice is creamy and cooked through, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and stir. Add the roasted butternut squash cubes and stir once more. Give the risotto a taste to check the seasoning, and adjust if necessary (more salt or lemon etc). Serve the risotto hot with vegan parmesan for sprinkling.
Recipe Notes
I absolutely love using honey nut squash for this recipe. If you can find some where you live, I urge you to go for it.
The heat level under the risotto as you cook and stir is key. It should be lightly simmering.
My vegan butternut squash risotto is such a cozy main! It has about 10 ingredients and takes 1 hour to make. Enriching the warm vegetable stock with miso offers a crucial salty-umami quality to the finished dish.